LIVE UNITED Y’All!

Metro United Way 2-1-1 helps people everyday that are dealing with problems, from individuals who have no insurance and are suffering with health and medical issues and have no where to turn to find the treatments they need, to people who have lost their jobs and are about to lose their homes. These are the types of problems that you hear about when you hear about 2-1-1 helping people find the help that they need.  But, sometimes little things, things that may not seem to be that large of an issue to you and me, can still be a major crisis at that moment in time to the person who is faced with those little things.      

A young woman helps an elderly aunt with her day to day affairs by running to the store or helping her with cleaning her home.  As time goes on the young woman realizes that her aunt has a few minor needs that are neglected regularly by her adult children.  She has spoken to her cousins about these needs, such as a new pair of glasses, but while they pay her rent and utilities and provide food, the young woman finds her cousins unresponsive to their mother’s need for “little things” as they call them.  She personally can’t afford to begin to support the aunt in such areas as paying for glasses.  How can she help her aunt?     

A man working in his yard gets attacked by bees and receives 30 to 40 stings on his legs.  He has no knowledge of his being allergic to bee stings, nor does he have any history of such problems but his legs and ankles are beginning to hurt and he knows he needs to see someone.  Should he go to a hospital Emergency Room?   

A small county Sheriff’s Deputy receives a run to check on an unknown individual walking around behind a home late in the evening, arrives on the scene to find not what you would expect for a prowler, but a middle-aged woman who does not live there and who does not even live in that county.  She is homeless and traveling.  This is a rural county that doesn’t have facilities for the homeless or “street people.” If he runs her off from this home he will most likely get a call on her at another residence before the night is over.  Should he lock her up for trespassing?   

Where do these three people find answers for their very different problems?  The young woman turns to Metro United Way 2-1-1 to find the Lion’s Club program for assisting seniors with eye needs. The man who has been stung by the bees calls 2-1-1 from his car as he leaves his driveway to find an Immediate Care Center just 20 minutes from his home in the next county. The Deputy finds an Emergency Shelter in the city, a 45-minute drive from his county. The Shelter houses females and will be a way to provide the middle-aged woman with a safe place to sleep that night.

To you and I these are not big problems or crisis issues, but we were not facing them. To these people they were more immediate because they had no ready answer themselves. 2-1-1 was where they turned to find  the help that was needed. Metro United Way 2-1-1 is there for the individual no matter how big or how small the problem. Metro United Way 2-1-1 is there for the community no matter how hard the wind blows or how deep the snow drifts. As we reach the 2 1/2-year anniversary of 2-1-1 this month we mark it with a milestone.  100,000 callers have been gotten help with their problems, big or small, because that is what 2-1-1 does and does well.  2-1-1 helps people find the help they need.

Advocacy, General 2-1-1

So, I sat down last week and after all of my calculations I discovered (as I hope many of you have) that Uncle Sam owes me some money.  And while filing taxes isn’t the most rewarding experience, I’m pretty excited about the anticipated result:  my tax refund. 

Now comes the hard part – deciding what I do with it.  Have you decided what you’ll do with yours?  Maybe you can help me out.  Here are some ideas I have:

1.       Take a class to further my education.  I’ve been out of college now for almost 2 years and during that time have toyed on and off (mostly off because of idea #2) with going back to school.  After some investigating, I’ve learned that courses at JCTC are as low as $363 while personal enrichment courses at U of L range between $59 and $150.  My favorite, Ghost Hunting is available for just $84

2.       Pay down my student loans.  As many other recent college graduates, I have quite a bit of student loan debt to my name.  And while I’m not shy about it, the number is constantly in the back of mind, taunting me and reminding me of how much I still owe.  By making a one-time payment on my highest interest student loan, I can pay if off 2 years earlier and save about $1,750!

3.       Plant a tree . . . to help replace those lost in the windstorm of 2008 and the ice-storm of 2009.  I can get a 15 gallon tree for about $159.  And, did you know that over the course of 50 years, a single tree can generate $31,250 of oxygen, provide $62,000 worth of air pollution control, recycle $37,500 worth of water, and control $31,500 worth of soil erosion? (Arbor Day Foundation)

4.        Join a gym.  I love to exercise but I’m not one of those run-for-fun kind of people.  I’m just not motivated in that way, especially when it’s cold outside.  I’ve wanted to join a gym for a while but have been really hesitant to commit to a membership and add another monthly expense to my budget.  But Angie isn’t the only Metro United Way staffer planning a wedding and if I want to look and feel better by May 23^rd I better get started! 

5.       Give more to Metro United Way.  If you didn’t already know, I’m in the Donor Relations Department at Metro United Way.  We’re responsible for the annual campaign and generating revenue for the benefit of the community.  I truly believe that no other organization can do as much good for our community, nor can my charitable gift have a greater impact anywhere else than at Metro United Way. 

There’s the list.  Now I want to hear from you!  How do you think I should spend my tax refund?  What would you do if you were me?  And what do you plan to do with yours?      

Haven’t filed your taxes yet?  You could qualify for free tax preparation assistance.  For more information about free tax services, you can call 2-1-1, visit the Louisville Asset Building Coalition or one of the VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) sites near you!   

Photo Credit: thedailyhamster

Education, General, Giving, Income 2-1-1, tax refund, VITA

A large part of my role at Metro United Way is to manage the traditional side of our business – the yearly agency reviews.  My favorite part to read on their submitted documentation is their “Success Story.” This section of the application is the agency’s chance to put a face to the agency. The success stories also remind me that I’m working to serve these individuals, not just working to meet deadlines and attend meetings, and that this work really does impact lives in our community. When you read the following success story, you can take credit too, because as a Metro United Way supporter you also play a role.

The YMCA of Southern Indiana has been serving a very special family for many years. The mother of the family recently wrote a letter to the YMCA and her words best describe the story of the YMCA work thanks to the funding from Metro United Way:

“This seems like a good opportunity to write the letter that is long past due. My children have been attending YMCA camps for many years starting with a daughter who is now 29 and sending her 3 children to the camp. Even back then I was told not to pick her up until 5:59 pm because she was having so much fun. The camps fill a vital community need, reliable, educational, and safe child care. My adoption of the 3 children would have been very difficult if the Y camps and after school programs were not there.

 

It is also commendable that you take special needs children. They can really drain a counselor’s energy and patience fast, believe me I know, having 2 of them. Every morning both are greeted with enthusiasm (by name), their medication is given on time and both are worn out by the end of the day (hard to tell with Will since he never stops talking). Margy says she sometimes takes a nap because she gets so tired. I know Will can be a MAJOR headache (even to me) and yet no one ever seems to get upset or lose their cool with him when his medicine is not working and needs to be changed. How you get such great people to work there I will never know (I can’t even find a good sitter). I think Margy loves every counselor at her camp and Will wants to BE Lance, from hair style down to walk. I can’t thank you enough for taking my children and grandchildren and giving them a wonderful summer.”

The appreciation and gratitude felt here would not be possible without United Way. Even though this family does not directly receive financial assistance during the school year, her two special needs children are specially staffed with their own 1:2 counselor ratio at no additional cost to the family. Each of our special needs children are given this same consideration, which increases staffing costs at their after school site. Will and Margy are able to attend and enjoy the after school program and their grandmother (who has raised them as her own) is able to go to work without worry. This family is a true testament to how the YMCA helps to build strong kids, strong families, and strong communities.

Education, General success story, YMCA

Sing, Dance, Play. This is one of the key messages of the Success By 6 Born Learning campaign, and is something we practice with great passion in my home. Like most young children, Luke loves music. And why wouldn’t he? His daddy is a musician, and his mommy…well, mommy loves to sing it and shake it on the dance floor with Luke to the smooth sounds of Children’s Programming on KET.

We do our fair share of the classic children’s songs: “The Wheels on the Bus,” “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star,” “The Itsy Bitsy Spider,” etc. Honestly, is there anything cuter than chubby little sausage fingers acting out the spider climbing up the waterspout or twinkling like a star? Of course there isn’t!

Our absolute favorite family sing, dance and play activity is a full-on jam session. Like a producer or record executive, Luke controls who gets what instrument, who sits where, what the arrangement should sound like, and when we get breaks. Daddy gets the “big guitar,” which is only fitting since daddy has had that guitar since he was all of 12 years old. Luke mans the small guitar and child-sized microphone. Mommy, reduced to a groupie, plays the triangle or tambourine. Producers know where the talent lies.

Then we jam. Daddy knows Luke wants to play The Grateful Dead’s “Bertha” first, a good bouncy tune to “warm up,” so we start with that and move into other genres and styles as the jam progresses.  Luke strums his guitar, sings with the chorus, and dances around like a miniature rock star. He will often remind the rest of us that he is indeed a rock star, shouting “Rock Star!” in the middle of a verse with no provocation, no request to do so. He just wants it known that it is so. When the song comes to an end, Luke will take a bow and say “thank you!” as if he has proudly satisfied the rock needs of thousand of fans at Madison Square Garden on New Years’ Eve. And like some concerts, this can go on for hours. Like a little Jackson Browne, Luke just wants to play a little bit longer.

Sing, Dance, Play. These are the joys of being a parent. It is imperative to share these moments with young children, and a great way to let go of stress in our adult lives.

Are you a parent? Is your child a “Rock Star?” Do you sing, dance and play? I’d love to hear about what you do at your home. Maybe we’ll use it in our next concert.

Education, General Born Learning, early childhood, Success By 6, young children

When I was growing up, I remember teasing my mother about how she only knew one way to get someplace.  She knew one way to drive to the big regional shopping mall which was located about 30 minutes from our home.  She always parked the car outside of the Carson Pirie Scott store, even if we were going to the Sears store on the other side of the mall.  “If we’re going to Sears, why don’t you park the car by Sears?” I’d ask her.  And she would answer that she had to park where she could see the purple water tower (the mall is located in Lombard, Illinois, known as “The Lilac Village” and boasts a water tower painted the color of lilacs), or else she’d get confused about which direction to go back home.  My dad’s running joke was that if she drove around the block backwards, she’d be lost.  As a result of my mom being directionally-challenged, once I started driving I determined that I wouldn’t be like her.  I’d find alternate roads.  I’d know more than one way to get places.

For the last several months, I’ve had a standing Tuesday night appointment in the east end of Louisville.  Leaving downtown after work, I’d always take the Interstate and always be frustrated by the slow-moving traffic heading out of the city.  Finally, I asked for help in finding an alternative route using the surface streets…amazing!  The drive may not be as direct, but I keep moving and don’t get stuck in rush-hour traffic.  As the weeks go by, I’ve tried to vary the route without getting lost, which sometimes works and sometimes doesn’t.

OK, you may be thinking, that’s a nice story, but what has it got to do with anything?  Well, I’ll tell you.  I think that a lot of times we can be like my mom in our problem solving efforts.  We know what’s worked in the past and so we keep right on doing the same thing, afraid that if we do anything different we’ll lose our way.  We keep driving down the Interstate because it’s familiar and a sure thing, even if it leaves us frustrated.  What if we explored a different way?  True, we might get a bit lost along the way but, if we ask for directions, we’ll eventually get to where we want to be.  It might take us longer to arrive, but we’ll have learned something new and maybe even discover something really cool along the way.  What do you think?  Are you ready to try a new way?

General alternatives, decision making, make change

We are proud to announce that the Live United advertising campaign was a Top 10 Ad Council Campaign for 2008. You have probably seen and heard advertisements around town on billboards, in print, and on the radio encouraging our community to “Give. Advocate.Volunteer. LIVE UNITED.”

As we move forward, our advertising campaign will evolve just a little. While we can’t give away all of the exciting details, I can tell you that the campaign will not only feature those famous white Live United t-shirts, but will also have a call to action: “I don’t just wear the shirt, I live it”.

How do you “live it”? The first three people to leave a compelling comment will win a Live United t-shirt to wear while you’re “living it.” We look forward to hearing your responses!

Advocacy, Giving, Volunteering advocate, give, Live United, make change, Volunteer

For those who don’t know, I’m getting married in the fall.  My life right now is basically consumed with work, school, and wedding planning.  I laugh sometimes at night when I’m getting ready for bed because I think about how busy my day had been, and yet I can’t seem to remember which of the above three tasks was my focus for that day!  You know, after a while the auto-pilot kicks in and the lines between the individual priorities in our lives start to blur, and everything just starts to melt together.  I admit, I did actually show up to Project Management class one night with my green and pink wedding binder instead of my notebook for class…and there was that one time we had a meeting with the caterer and I found myself getting out of the car with my text book instead of the wedding binder!  I’m sure we all go through times in our lives when we feel like we need someone there just to help us keep things straight and make sure we put on two matching shoes in the morning before we leave the house.  Well, that about sums up my life these days!

In the midst of all this excitement in my life, I have somehow managed to find a little bit of time to reflect and draw some parallels among all these things I’m experiencing.  For starters, one important lesson I’ve learned in both my work here at Metro United Way and the past five months of wedding planning is to follow my heart.  There will always be external demands placed upon me.  As far as my wedding goes, the list is endless: Some people feel I should be getting married in my hometown, others feel the church is too far from the reception site, and my favorite so far, “What do you mean you’re not getting your nails done before the wedding?!” 

The same demands exist when working for an organization like Metro United Way.  There will always be differing opinions about what community projects to launch, or how certain funds should be invested.  I couldn’t have asked for better preparation for Life Lesson #1: Know Your Community, and Life Lesson #2: Trust Your Heart.  I have learned that I make the best decisions when a) I’ve done my research and know the facts, b) weigh my options carefully, and c) trust my heart that I’m doing what’s best for the community I serve.

Life Lesson #3: Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff.  If I’ve heard it once, I’ve heard it a thousand times, but I swear it gets truer and truer as I get older!  In both the wedding planning and my job (and school, too, for that matter), I have found it so easy to get pulled into the trap of what I call detailism.  Of course I think little ribbons on the invitations would look cute, but in the end, is that what people are really going to remember about my wedding day?  More importantly, is that what I’m going to remember?  Similarly, it can be so easy to get bogged down in details at work…What if I didn’t grab enough brushing timers to hand out at the dental health fair tomorrow?  Would this action plan sound better if I switched these words around?  I have to keep reminding myself of the wise words of one of my co-workers who was counseling me about my wedding plans one day when she said, “Angie, in the end, he’s still going to be waiting for you at the end of the aisle, and you will get married no matter what.”  I feel like the same advice applies to my job.  Just switching a few words around, I can still hear Roberta’s voice saying, “Angie, this community is still going to be relying on you at the end of the day, and you will make a difference no matter what.” 

General Community, wedding

Health Equity 101

The term Health Equity is a relatively new concept for a lot of people. Nowadays we often hear a lot of terms related to social or health policies that can seem complicated and unrelated to our personal worlds, but with a little bit of explanation and reframing and we can easily see how these seemingly complicated terms really are quite simple to understand.

My blog today will be a first in a series of blogs on Health Equity. I will be referencing other blogs, websites and sources I find along my journey to more deeply understand the concepts of Health Equity and they can be explored in our community.  I will also connect you, the reader, to good work happening right here in our community.

What is Health Inequity/Equity?

Health Inequity

Exists when there are disparities in health that are a result of systemic, avoidable and unjust social and economic policies and practices that create barriers to opportunity.

Health Equity

The absence of differences in health between groups with differential exposure to those social and economic policies and practices that create barriers to opportunity.

What does this mean?

While the drugs we take, what we eat, whether or not we practice a healthy lifestyle, and advances in medical and pharmaceutical  technologies are important, there is so much more to what makes us healthy than bad or good habits, bad or good health care, or our genetic makeup. The social and economic conditions, into which we are born, live and work, profoundly affect our well-being and longevity.

As Harvard epidemiologist David Williams says in the PBS series UNNATURAL CAUSES

“Housing policy is health policy. Educational policy is health policy. Anti-violence policy is health policy. Neighborhood improvement policies are health policies. Everything that we can do to improve the quality of life of individuals in out society has an impact on their health and is a health policy.”

Check out more about this great series at: http://www.unnaturalcauses.org/

A great and regular source to follow about health equity is this blog out of Case Western University: http://blog.case.edu/ccrhd/

Right here in River City we are fortunate to have the Center for Health Equity, already getting national recognition for the work they do and a great community partner of Metro United Way:

http://www.louisvilleky.gov/Health/equity/

Please join us here at Metro United Way for the next Health Equity Speakers Series hosted by the Center for Health Equity. This Speaker’s Series is designed to bring attention to and heighten awareness factors that are influencing health inequities. Each series encourages dialogue about health issues and helps the community move toward the research and collaboration needed to address the social factors influencing health inequities and bring about change.

February 24, 2009

5:30PM

Metro United Way

334 E Broadway

Louisville, KY

Please call the Center for Healthy Equity to learn more about the next series at 502-574-6616 or email. RSVPs are requested.

“Social Determinants of Health vs. Social Determinants of Equity”

The speaker will be Camara P. Jones, M.D., M.P.H., Ph.D. is Research Director on Social Determinants of Health at the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Dr. Jones received an M.D. degree from Stanford University (1981), completed residencies in General Preventive Medicine (Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health) and Family Medicine (Residency Program in Social Medicine, Montefiore Hospital), and earned a masters degree in public health and a doctoral degree in epidemiology at Johns Hopkins, finishing in 1995.

Events, Health Health Equity, policy

Nothing weighs on my heart more than when I go about my daily life and come in the path of adults who are negligent or abusive to children. I feel like I encounter this too often. From when I shop, go to the grocery or even sometimes just outside my office window on Broadway as I am working and I can hear people as they wait for a bus.

Wherever life is, too often my ears hear an adult who has met the end of the rope and is berating, threatening or diminishing a child. Our future.  Don’t get me wrong, I am not referring to normal, healthy, loving correction. It’s the situations where tired, crying children are being ridiculed, threatened, and in some cases what I consider assaulted by an adult who is clearly at the end of their rope. I have seen this, and heard this while passerbys seem to tune out the tragedy or just not get involved. 

As our community and our neighbors face unprecedented challenges, daily stress and tensions rise. It is our children that are going to have to bear the costly burden of our solutions, bail outs and mistakes. I hope they are able. 

I had this poem on my bedroom wall as a little girl and I read it often. It reinforces for me that children are born learning.

Children Learn What They Live by Dorothy Law Nolte

If a child lives with criticism, he learns to condemn.
If a child lives with hostility, he learns to fight.
If a child lives with fear, he learns to be apprehensive.
If a child lives with pity, he learns to feel sorry for himself.
If a child lives with ridicule, he learns to be shy.
If a child lives with jealousy, he learns to feel guilt.

BUT

If a child lives with tolerance, he learns to be patient.
If a child lives with encouragement, he learns to be confident.
If a child lives with praise, he learns to be appreciative.
If a child lives with acceptance, he learns to love.
If a child lives with honesty, he learns what truth is.
If a child lives with fairness, he learns justice.
If a child lives with security, he learns to have faith in himself and in those about him.
If a child lives with friendliness, he learns that the world is a nice place in which to live.

Find your voice. Open your heart. Reach out a hand to one and influence the condition of all.  Metro United Way provides an efficient, easy path to create change, get help, give help, and make an impact for children, adults and our community. And it isn’t just good for the people that are helped. It’s good for you, your family, your company and our community. Wouldn’t you agree that we all win when children succeed, when families are financially stable and when people have good health? We believe it takes everyone in our community working together to create a brighter future. Will you join the Live United movement?

Now more than ever you will find hundreds of rewarding volunteer opportunities and see how easily Metro United Way can connect individuals and groups. If you have a passion for the aging, children, people with disabilities, the homeless, youth, domestic violence, disaster relief, substance abuse, housing, hunger, or education … there’s a way to help make a difference and get started on creating that better tomorrow! United, we can make a difference.

Bring on the sunshine and bring on Spring!

Advocacy, Education, General, Volunteering Born Learning, Children, Community, Live United, Metro United Way

I filed my federal and state income tax returns yesterday, and it was a completely stress-free experience.  How can that be, you ask?  Well, I’ll let you in on a little secret.  I had my taxes done by a VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) volunteer.  VITA volunteers are specially trained in electronic income tax filing and the service is free to those with low- to moderate- income (generally $42,000 and below).

Being a Floyd County resident, I called the Southern Indiana Asset Building Coalition at 812-206-7514 and was set up with an appointment to meet with a volunteer tax preparer.  When I walked into Your Community Bank for my appointment, I was glad to see awards and signage from Metro United Way prominently displayed.  The bank and its employees have an outstanding commitment to support the community through their giving to Metro United Way, contributing substantially in the 2008 campaign.  I was surprised and delighted when I discovered that the VITA volunteer that would be helping me was Diane Murphy, who has been a strong supporter of Metro United Way through the years (Floyd Co. CSC, 2004-2008; Chair of Floyd Co. campaign, 2008; Chair of Clark/Floyd Co. campaign, 2006). 

Diane told me that I’d be serving as her “guinea pig,” as I was the first person that she’d be helping with taxes this year.  She also said that preparing my return would provide good experience for her, as I had a little bit of everything – interest income, mortgage interest and property taxes, educational expenses, mileage from volunteering activities,  a state tax refund from 2007, sales tax from the purchase of a car, etc.  Her colleague Scott assisted us and the entire process took about an hour to complete.  It helped that my receipts and paperwork were organized into categories ahead of time so that it was easier for Diane to plug the numbers into the computer program.  When we were finished, all that remained was to print out copies, sign my autograph, and shake hands on a job well done.  My return was filed with the IRS electronically, and my refund will be deposited directly into my bank account.  I felt lighter all day knowing that this dreaded annual chore was done.  And it was done completely painlessly!

If your income qualifies you for free income tax assistance from a VITA volunteer, I recommend that you call today and set up an appointment.  Here’s what you’ll need to bring with you to your appointment:

• Social Security cards for you, your spouse and dependents and/or a Social Security Number verification letter issued by the Social Security Administration
• Birthdates for you, your spouse and dependents
• Current year’s tax package, if you received one
• Wage and earning statement(s) Form W-2, W-2G, 1099-R, from all employers
• Interest and dividend statements from banks (Forms 1099)
• A copy of last year’s Federal and State returns, if available
• Bank Routing Numbers and Account Numbers for direct deposits of refunds
• Total paid for day care provider and the day care provider’s tax identifying number (the provider’s Social Security Number or the provider’s business Employer Identification Number)
• To file taxes electronically on a married filing jointly tax return, both spouses must be present to sign the required forms.

If you’re interested in learning more about free income tax assistance or the other services available to those with low- to moderate-income, please call the Southern Indiana Asset Building Coalition at 812-206-7514 or check out their website at www.siabc.org.  If you live on the Kentucky side of the river, call the Louisville Asset Building Coalition at 502-292-6182 or visit their website at www.labcservices.org.  Do yourself a favor and make this tax season less taxing…I’m sure glad that I did!

General, Income, Volunteering asset building, Community, Floyd County, Louisville Asset Building Coalition, Southern Indiana Asset Building Coalition, tax preparation, VITA